I respect the great knowledge of Old Testament of the Orthodox Jew and often seek to glean whatever he has to say about interpretation on the OT scripture! Who was Proverbs 8:22-31 making reference to? Thank you, for your great wealth of knowledge that you are so kind to share!
2007-07-26 08:49:45 · 9 answers · asked by Marie 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It says, "The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. When there were no oceans , I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water; before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world. I was there when he set the heavens in place when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep., when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, fejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind."
2007-07-26 09:31:20 · update #1
Oops! I meant rejoicing not fefoicing...lol! Sorry!
2007-07-26 10:23:56 · update #2
I'm Reform, not Orthodox but I'll go home tonight and look through my Soncino commentary on this passage and get back to you (if I forget, please e-mail me).
[edit] OK, got the book here in front of me. The *first* verse of Proverbs 8 begins, "Does not wisdom call...". So the commentary on verses 22-31 reads as follows:
"To justify the high claims which wisdom had asserted on her behalf, the author advances a still loftier claim. Wisdom was created by G-d before the universe, because G-d ordained for her a part in the creative work which changed chaos into order...The same principles which the Creator applied in the formation of the universe have to be employed by man in the development of his highest self...In a word, wisdom, i.e. morality, has been appointed by G-d to be the controlling force of all life, both of the universe and of manking individually and collectively."
2007-07-26 09:39:08 · answer #1 · answered by Mark S, JPAA 7 · 5⤊ 1⤋
I'm not an orthodox Jew (or even a Jew at all!), but I can explain this passage for you. If you read from the beginning of Proverbs 8, you will see that the writer is speaking of wisdom. He rather eloquently gives life to the spirit of wisdom, because this wisdom is more than mere thoughts -- it has a life of its own!
Isaiah 11 speaks about the Messiah, who will possess the Spirit of wisdom from God. Verse 2 reads:
2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
The >Spirit of wisdom< and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
Later, Paul prayed at Ephesians 1:17 "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the >spirit of wisdom< and revelation in the knowledge of Him ..."
By now, you may have guessed that the Spirit of Wisdom is part of what Christians refer to as the Holy Spirit. While the writer of Proverbs didn't use this terminology, he clearly understood this Wisdom to be part of God, yet separate from Him. This is beautifully explained at verses 22-31 (I've quoted from the Hebrew Bible here):
22 HaShem made me as the beginning of His way, the first of His works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth; 26 While as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27 When He established the heavens, I was there; when He set a circle upon the face of the deep, 28 When He made firm the skies above, when the fountains of the deep showed their might, 29 When He gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not transgress His commandment, when He appointed the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was by Him, as a nursling; and I was daily all delight, playing always before Him, 31 Playing in His habitable earth, and my delights are with the sons of men.
2007-07-27 07:19:36 · answer #2 · answered by Suzanne: YPA 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
This section refers to the Bible/Torah/OT. The message is basically that the Torah is the blueprint for the world.
2007-07-27 16:04:54 · answer #3 · answered by Scane 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is referring to the Torah
2007-07-26 18:55:03 · answer #4 · answered by ST 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋
It talks of the pre-existence and the council of heaven when one third of the heavenly host chose to follow Satan or Lucifer.
More importantly it declares that we (all mankind) existed as spirits in the presence of the Father.
By the way, I'm LDS
2007-07-26 15:55:31 · answer #5 · answered by Modern Major General 7 · 2⤊ 8⤋
well, im sorry, i dont know what passage that is.
2007-07-26 15:56:08 · answer #6 · answered by lins 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
proverbs 8;11 i am wisdom. 12 i am wisdom...and i have insight... luv dad me and my bible
2007-07-26 16:05:36 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
Our greatness doesn't have time to look up that passage.
2007-07-26 15:51:54 · answer #8 · answered by S K 7 · 1⤊ 8⤋
The answers are at www.NKUSA.org
,
2007-07-26 15:58:04 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 10⤋